At World's End
by DenebolaKumo-chan
Summary: (semi modern demon hunter AU) 500 years have passed since the titans were defeated and now a new menace has taken their place. Demons and the supernatural run the world and humanity is scattered across the world. When the northern regions fall, three young friends must give up what is dear to them and prepare to fight once again as a demon lost 10 years before returns for revenge.
1. Prologue

**A/N okay so I did a thing. I started this thing. Okay, sorry for the shitty summary but, these are a few points you might need to know. There will be some implied pairings but, nothing to shippy until near the end. There will be major character death (I mean this is a SNK fanfic, it's not like everyone is going to live is it?). Also, I might try to add in horror and depending on what I decide later on, the rating may change. Okay now you can read.**

_Dear you,_

_Do you remember that day? The one when everything changed. We we're just playing around like fucking idiots and had no real idea of the danger we we're putting ourselves in. We we're stupid, so stupid. I mean shit, we could of fucking listened to those creepy ass villagers but, we didn't and we had to pay the price. I hope you remember how you all nearly took a shit in your pants and that embarrasses you for the rest of your short pathetic lives. You think having to just remember that moment, the pain, is a punishment. It doesn't come close to what I have been through. You thought you knew me, knew what type of person I was but, time changes us all. I'm different now, no longer the same shitty human I was back then. You're different too, living on while I'm here all alone waiting for you to come back for me. I've waited years, ten to be exact and yet, you haven't come back for me, not once!_

_You know what you did, I know what you did and I think the world should know what you did. You did something awful back then and I think it's about time for you fucktards to finally pay for what you've done. So, I'll destroy and kill as much as I can until you have to return here and finish what you started. I'll be waiting._

_Someone who was left behind._

The man folded the letter up once again, like he did everyday, and stored it within a draw in his desk, remembering to lock it and resumed his work. He had done this everyday since the letter had mysteriously appeared on his desk. He had read it again and again and again but, still did not believe the words. What had happened all those years ago was in the past and he _desperately_ wanted to forget it but, he just couldn't. He knew _she _couldn't either. It hurt to think about their friend's face as their soul was ripped from them and morphed into something dark and sinister. He hoped with all his being that it had been nothing more of a nightmare.

The man stood up, looking over the many papers scattered across his desk briefly wondering what his life had come to. He quickly dismissed those thoughts and prepared for another daily routine, a visit to a good friend in hospital, another reminder of what had happened. The man smoothed the wrinkles in his plain brown suit and began the long walk to the infirmary. Nobody stared at him any more as he passed them on the corridors, nor did they whisper behind his back. They all knew where he went but, none of them knew why.

'And they never will.' He thought bitterly to himself.

He rounded a corner and was soon stood outside the metal doors leading to where his friend rested in a deep coma. He breathed deep, smoothed his suit one last time and carried on the journey. His friend slept in a private space in the far western corner by a large window with only the machines keeping him alive, a small wooden table and a chair. _She _would usually come too but it seemed that there was a lot of research and experiments to do today. He seated himself in the usual chair and looked over his friend.

His friend seemed so peaceful, sleeping there as if there was not a care in the world. But, he knew there was. He knew there was danger but, people refused to listen, to see, to acknowledge. Demons were all around them, living in the shadows, feasting off humanities fear and ripping out souls as if they owned every last person on the planet. It was disgusting really.

Heavy footsteps snapped him from his inner musings just before the door was carelessly flung open. Whoever had the gall to barge in on him and his friend better of had a good reason. The man turned on his seat to look at a panting and panicking soldier. Before he could even tell the young man off, the poor lad had already shocked him into silence.

"Commander Erwin, sir, Shiganshina has been attacked by a Class A demon!"


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: okay welcome to the actual first chapter. Enjoy kiddos.**

It was a peaceful day. Birds happily chirped in their trees and bees lazily meandered from flower to flower. Spring had well and truly began. For the farmers, spring meant the birth of more animals and the planting of crops. There was much work to be done. For the children, however, it was a time of play. Warmer weather meant more time to go outside. The older kids went down by the river, even if the water was still freezing and the younger kids played in the fields and the old barn. Eren, Mikasa and Armin were some of these younger children.

They usually played in the barn but, since today was exceptionally nice, they had collectively decided to sit outside. Armin had once again managed to smuggle out one of his grandfather's many dusty old tomes while Mikasa was busying herself by making daisy chains for them all. Neither of these things interested Eren how ever, he was simply content to lay back by the big old oak tree looking up into it's branches.

"Eren! Look at this!" Armin called from his seat in a patch of longer grass.

The other boy's eyes were gleaming in wonder as he pointed at the book he had been looking through for the past hour. He slowly crawled over, body feeling heavy from it's long period of inactivity. When he did finally manage to drag himself through the dirt (sustaining a few grass stains that his mother would be less than pleased about) he was rewarded by nothing but a page full of words and strange pictures.

"Is this all?" He asked with a loud yawn.

"Look. This page, it's all about demons!" Armin replied excitedly, looking between both his friends.

"But, demons aren't real. They're just stories made up to scare children." Mikasa added in as she arranged a flower crown she had made on her head.

"Not according to this book! It says that demons aren't from Hell like all the adults always tell us. It says that they were humans once!"

The other two children looked at their friend in confusion. For them, such information was frightening yet, still as all new things, very exciting. They didn't know much about demons and whatever else was out there only what their parents had told them. They knew demons ate whatever they could and liked to prey on human souls. They also knew that they preferred the dark and that was why it wasn't safe to go out at night. But, they had come to realize that demons were just fairytales made up to scare them yet, this book was saying otherwise.

"Are you sure you're reading that right?" Eren joked giving his friend a light shove.

"I know I am. Look it says here 'when the human soul is corrupted by a large amount of any of the seven deadly sins, the soul turns black and the human dies. Their body is left behind but, the soul takes form and becomes a demon.' I _told _you they were real!"

The book roughly outlined the basic concept of what demons were and documented a lot of demons that had already been defeated. The three children were utterly enthralled with this information, losing themselves in the great stories and before they knew it, the sun was begging to set showing that it was time to go home. Even if it had been a nice day, the nights would still be cold and neither of them wanted to be late for dinner either.

The walk back to town wasn't too far but, it always seemed farther after a tiring day. Armin had gone home early as he wanted to be able to put the book back and pretend that he had never even been snooping around in another persons belongings. The other two knew that was wrong but, they wouldn't be as worried as their friend when it came down to being caught.

"We better hurry up or we'll get in trouble again if we're late." Mikasa advised grabbing Eren's wrist and pulling him along.

"Hey! Let go! I don't need you to drag me around!" The boy growled attempting to break free of the girl's grip, "I'm not some baby!"

He was practically raging by the time they made it to the bridge that spanned the river. It was quite old and had been there as long as their town had been. By the time they reached the other side, Eren had all but given up trying to break free and obediently trotted behind his friend muttering unhappily all the while. Suddenly, she stopped, hand letting go of his making him almost walk right into her.

"Hey, what's the big idea?"

Mikasa silently lifted a pale hand and pointed to the sky in the direction of the town. Eren looked in the direction she was pointing and saw what she was so worried about. They sky was filled with jet black smoke. They both knew what that meant: fire. Both wasted no time in sprinting in that direction, desperate to see what was happening.

They could see the flames from where they were. The fire looked like it had already taken out half of the town! Eren's heart was pounding against his ribcage frantically and Mikasa was panting out of breath but, neither were going to slow down. Before they knew it, they found themselves in front of the burning buildings. Bodies littered the streets, torn apart and some stripped of flesh.

"Eren... Mikasa...?" A small voice whispered from the side.

Both children dragged their gazes away from the terrible scene in front of them to a fallen log off to the left of them. Behind it with his knees drawn up to his chest and blue eyes poking out beneath blonde hair was Armin. The book had been dropped beside him, open on a random page about some incident some years ago. Both of the other children, rushed to him, quickly looking their terrified friend over. He had some burns up his arms and legs that seemed red and blistered. When Mikasa gently brushed her hand over his, he flinched away saying that it hurt.

Neither of them spoke. They didn't want to. Instead the three sat there behind the log, watching their homes burn to dust and the bodies with their dead eyes and twisted limbs vanish in the flames.

After what must have hours as the flames had begun to die out, Eren plucked up the courage to speak.

"What happened?" His voice was hoarse from breathing in the smoke.

It took Armin several minutes to begin to process what had just been said. He pulled his light coat further around himself staring off into the glowing embers.

"I don't know. I got home and grandpa had found out that I had been in the library again. He scolded me but, said I could keep the book if I liked it. We sat down for dinner but, then we heard a woman screaming outside." He muttered tears beginning to prick at the side of his eyes, " Grandpa told me to stay inside and went out to take a look. He was gone for at least half an hour. I got worried and looked out the window. That's when... when I saw your house on fire. Your mum... Eren your mum was dead on the floor!"

By this point he had burst into tears, looking at his friend's confused expression just made it worse and he began weeping even more loudly. Eren had also began to cry now as realization sank in. His mum was dead? A fire? It was obvious that the fire had spread since most of the houses were made from wood but, he didn't care about that.

Mikasa was also shaken but, she did not cry. She looked to be deeply in shock and just sat there, unfocused eyes looking at the crushed grass under them. Their world had been shattered and each of them were now left homeless, without food and badly shaken. After a while, Armin began to talk again.

"Your home wasn't the only one burning as well. That nice ladies house was on fire too. You know, the one who gave us those chocolates that time? She was the same, in the street dead. I couldn't see my grandpa, or your dad but, I figured out that they might of gone to get water. I thought that I could be useful. I don't remember why I grabbed the book either, but, I went looking for them that was when I saw... _it_."

The other two looked up now, attention fully on the boy who now slowly pulled the book towards him, closing it up and holding it close. In that moment, Eren knew. He knew that _it _was some sort of demon. A monster. It had come for the souls of the towns people and had got them.

"It looked like some sort of skeleton. It had such big horns that curled round. It was on all fours and had the largest claws I had ever seen. Inside, where there should have been nothing, it had magma. I ran away and hid here. I haven't seen it since."

Eren, despite having been given the news of his mother's death, put an arm around his friend. He didn't ask how he had gotten burnt and really, he didn't want to know either. His friend felt cold, even in the heat of the embers and he didn't want him to get sick or anything. Soon enough, the blonde child had fallen asleep and Eren wanted to do the same but, he was too afraid yo do so despite being so tired.

"You can sleep if you want, Eren." Mikasa breathed still shocked to the core before hardening her expression, "I'll protect you."

She stood, pretty white dress fluttering in the wind as she cast her flower crown that had been still sat on her head into the spluttering fire.

"I wont let anything or anyone hurt you."

For the first time, he let her do as she pleased, laying down next to his other friend letting sleep claim him as he watched the young girl stand in front of their ruined home town silently.

It had been very dark when they set off from the city. The horses were less than pleased but, Commander Erwin didn't care. He knew who was responsible and he knew what had to be done. He had personally picked out the most fearless soldiers he could find. Class A demons were at the top of demon society. He had seen what those types of beasts could do himself. He quickly said his prayers and looked up into the night sky. The sender of that letter had well and truly meant what they had said.

Without any more hesitation, he set off into the night, followed by all the others on horseback.


End file.
